Starting Off Survival With A Small Treehouse

Chapter 12 - 12: Exploring the Resource Area

[Li Wenxi is initiating a video call with you. Do you accept?]

This cute girl is sending a video call at noon, didnʼt we say weʼd talk in the evening? Xu Xin wasnʼt even wearing any underwear right now, so he naturally couldnʼt accept, and directly declined.

”Why did you hang up on me?” Li Wenxi replied in the chat window.

”My clothes are being washed,” Xu Xin replied.

”Oh, oh.”

[Li Wenxi is initiating a voice call with you. Do you accept?]

Accept.

”Why are you doing laundry at noon?” Li Wenxiʼs voice rang out as soon as the call connected.

”It dries faster at noon, and I can do it after lunch, so it doesnʼt interfere with the afternoon stuff.”

”Makes sense, I always go for a shower in the evening!”

”... Is it appropriate to talk about showering with someone you just met?”

”Huh? Oh... Ah, it doesnʼt matter, you canʼt see me anyway!”

”... So, did you have something you wanted to talk about on this call?”

”Oh, I just wanted to ask how you did this morning, how many trees did you cut down?”

”Enough to trade with you. What about you? You didnʼt slack off, did you?”

”How could I slack off? My treehouseʼs first floor is filled with stone, Iʼm not working this afternoon, I need a good rest, Iʼm exhausted.” On the other end, Li Wenxiʼs voice even sounded lazy.

”You can explore a bit this afternoon, head in a direction you havenʼt gone before. Donʼt waste the last safe afternoon.”

”... Youʼre like an evil capitalist!”

”How am I a capitalist? Youʼre not even working for me.”

”Well... alright, alright, Iʼll go wandering this afternoon, maybe Iʼll discover something good. Donʼt forget to look for things too, weʼll exchange supplies when we get back in the evening.” Li Wenxi was clearly not very enthusiastic, but she still took his suggestion.

”Okay, okay.”

After ending the call, his clothes were dry. He put them on and rested for another half an hour, then climbed down from his treehouse, heading in the opposite direction of where he came.

But he hadnʼt gone far before he stopped in his tracks. Other survivors might not be able to see it, but with his discerning ability, he could tell there was a very obvious boundary line here.

Within the boundary, where he was standing now, it was lush and green, with at least half of it being green resources. Outside the boundary was mostly white, with the occasional green speck shining through.

He looked back to see he was about a kilometer away from the lakeside. His ability extended about a kilometer, and now he could barely see the green glow of the lake water anymore, indicating he was at the limit.

Looking out at the white expanse beyond the boundary, he hesitated but decided against leaving this resource zone. The distance between resource zones was definitely not short; even if he ventured out, it would be hard to find the next resource zone, only wasting time in a sea of low-tier resources. Better to wait for another time.

Moreover, previously he had only walked around the perimeter of the lake and hadnʼt explored the entire resource zone; now it seemed like the time to explore it thoroughly.

Xu Xin spent the entire afternoon exploring throughout the resource zone. The resource zone certainly lived up to its name; there were plenty of good things. He found another orange tree of blue quality.

[Orange (Blue): A fruit that can be eaten directly. It has a sweet and sour taste and revitalizing effects, with no side effects. One hour after consumption, you will feel energized.]

Energized? Whatʼs the use of that? Xu Xin was a bit disappointed. Like adrenaline? Well, maybe in a dangerous moment, eating one could cause a burst of energy?

Regardless, itʼs a blue-quality item. Xu Xin thought about it and decided to pick all the oranges. After all, this place was a bit far from his treehouse, and he wasnʼt sure if animals would eat the oranges once the newbie protection period ended, so it was better to pick them first.

And based on his observations, the large red berries he picked previously had not changed much in two days despite the hot weather, but the ordinary red berries had already softened and started to taste off. It seemed blue-quality foods had a longer shelf life.

This orange tree had over a hundred oranges, but he couldnʼt carry them all back, and he was worried about them spoiling if he picked too many, so he used his clothes to carry 30 oranges, just like before, and started eating one on the spot.

While eating, he didnʼt feel any particular effects, just that this orange was tastier than any he had eaten before. After finishing the last segment, a refreshing sensation surged through his brain, making him shiver, and the mental fatigue seemed to vanish instantly. Although the physical tiredness remained, he felt like it didnʼt matter; he could keep going!

This... this is simply an artifact for working overtime and staying up all night!

Riding this wave of energy, Xu Xin hurriedly brought the rest of the oranges back to the treehouse—it was less than a kilometer away, taking only a few minutes to return. He placed the oranges on the table on the third floor, then continued downstairs to search for resources.

The efficiency of this hour was incredibly high. Even though he hadnʼt explored the entire resource zone, his gains were substantial.

[Sour Date (Green): Edible fruit with a sour taste; can be eaten as a snack!]

[Yangmei (Green): Edible fruit with a sour taste, not very pleasant to eat, but can be used for making wine.]

[King Oyster Mushroom (Green): A wild mushroom with thick flesh, crisp texture, and high nutritional value; recommended to be eaten cooked.]

[Black Fungus (Green): A wild fungus that is slippery and delicious with high nutritional value; recommended to be eaten cooked.]

He didnʼt find anything too special but came across plenty of edible ingredients. Considering itʼs still the protection period, with no land animals around, the harvest from plants was already quite abundant; this period was essentially for survivors to pick suitable treehouse locations, and expecting to find a lot of advanced resources was indeed wishful thinking.

At this moment, Xu Xin felt his high spirits gradually subsiding and his energy waning. He realized that one hour had passed.

Feeling the changes in his body, he was amazed because he actually felt more energized than before eating the orange, like waking up from a nap.

Does this mean the ʼno side effectsʼ mentioned for the Orange (Blue) also includes acting like the hour was spent sleeping, boosting recovery speed for the mind?

This is simply a godsend for working overtime, going through all-nighters, every capitalistʼs dream!

Suddenly, Xu Xin didnʼt feel like this item was useless at all.

Who knows how long it would take for these things to grow back after being picked, but seeing the Yang tree seedʼs description, it could grow into a tree in 10 days, so these shouldnʼt take too long either.

After exploring for a while, Xu Xin got a general idea of the resource zoneʼs boundaries, roughly a square area with each side being about one kilometer. Although it was just one square kilometer, in terms of square meters, it was one million square meters—1500 mu of land. The resources here would be more than enough for just him.

However, he felt both disappointed and relieved that there seemed to be no other survivorsʼ treehouses nearby.

”Huh?” Through the layers of tree shadows, Xu Xin saw a blue glow flickering faintly. He hurried over in that direction.

[Advanced White Poplar (Blue): A higher-grade poplar tree that can be cut down for premium timber.]

He discovered another advanced white poplar tree.

”Wait a minute!” Xu Xin looked at the ground beneath the poplar tree, which was emitting a blue glow.